BELGIAN BEER TRAILS NORTH SEA NETHERLANDS Knokke-Heist E19 Turnhout E34 Ostend BRUGES ANTWERP Zelzate E34 ANTWERP Herentals Eeklo E313 OOST-VLAANDEREN E40 Sint-Niklaas Albertkanaal/ De Panne E40 Aalter Lier Canal Albert Maaseik Nieuwpoort GHENT LIMBURG Boom WEST-VLAANDEREN Mechelen Veurne Tielt Deinze Schelde E314 E403 A12 Maasmechelen IJzer/Yser Roeselare Dijle/Dyle Aalst E19 E314 HASSELT Waregem E40 Asse Genk Poperinge Zottegem LEUVEN Ypres E313 Kortrijk Oudenaarde BRUSSELS GERMANY Ninove VLAAMS-BRABANT Geraardsbergen Tongeren Ronse Halle Sint-Truiden Schelde/Escaut WAVRE Lessines BRABANT E40 E25 HAINAUT LIÈGE Waterloo WALLON Eupen E429 Hannut CONTENTS Nivelles Ottignies- E42 Ath Louvain-la-Neuve E42 Tournai LIÈGE Verviers Maas/Meuse E19 E19 BELGIUM IS… 9 E420 Spa E42 Dender/Dendre E42 Huy Andenne Bütgenbach FRANCE E19 BREWERIES, BEER MUSEUMS AND BREWERY MUSEUMS BY REGION MONS NAMUR Stavelot Amblève Malmedy ● Arlon – Bastogne – Bouillon – Durbuy – La Roche – Saint-Hubert 10 Charleroi NAMUR Ourthe Samber/Sambre Durbuy ● Antwerp – Lier – Mechelen – Turnhout 22 Sankt Vith Hotton ● Ath – Charleroi – Mons – Tournai 38 Dinant Marche-en- E25 ● 64 E411 Famenne Bruges – Ypres – Kortrijk – Ostend – Poperinge – Roeselare Lesse Philippeville ● Brussels – Halle – Leuven – Louvain-la-Neuve – Nivelles – Waterloo – Wavre 96 La Roche Rochefort ● Aalst – Ghent – Geraardsbergen – Ninove – Oudenaarde – Sint-Niklaas 138 ● Genk – Hasselt – Maaseik – Sint-Truiden – Tongeren 160 Bastogne Chimay Couvin ● Eupen – Huy – Liège – Malmedy – Spa – Stavelot – Verviers 176 Saint-Hubert ● Dinant – Namur – Rochefort 192 LUXEMBOURG Paliseul Neufchâteau INDEX 204 Bouillon Semois E411 GRAND DUCHY E25 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 207 OF LUXEMBOURG ARLON Unfortunately, not all of the links included in this book lead to websites or pages in the English language. If you have specific questions or wish to make a reservation, please send an email to the contact address listed. In most cases, Virton you will receive a response in English. 0 20 km NORTH SEA NETHERLANDS Knokke-Heist E19 Turnhout E34 Ostend BRUGES ANTWERP Zelzate E34 ANTWERP Herentals Eeklo E313 OOST-VLAANDEREN E40 Sint-Niklaas Albertkanaal/ De Panne E40 Aalter Lier Canal Albert Maaseik Nieuwpoort GHENT LIMBURG Boom WEST-VLAANDEREN Mechelen Veurne Tielt Deinze Schelde E314 E403 A12 Maasmechelen IJzer/Yser Roeselare Dijle/Dyle Aalst E19 E314 HASSELT Waregem E40 Asse Genk Poperinge Zottegem LEUVEN Ypres E313 Kortrijk Oudenaarde BRUSSELS GERMANY Ninove VLAAMS-BRABANT Geraardsbergen Tongeren Ronse Halle Sint-Truiden Schelde/Escaut WAVRE Lessines BRABANT E40 E25 HAINAUT LIÈGE Waterloo WALLON Eupen E429 Hannut Nivelles Ottignies- E42 Ath Louvain-la-Neuve E42 Tournai LIÈGE Verviers Maas/Meuse E19 E19 E420 Spa E42 Dender/Dendre E42 Huy Andenne Bütgenbach FRANCE E19 MONS NAMUR Stavelot Amblève Malmedy Charleroi NAMUR Ourthe Samber/Sambre Durbuy Sankt Vith Hotton Dinant Marche-en- E25 E411 Famenne Lesse Philippeville La Roche Rochefort Bastogne Chimay Couvin Saint-Hubert LUXEMBOURG Paliseul Neufchâteau Bouillon Semois E411 GRAND DUCHY E25 OF LUXEMBOURG ARLON Virton 0 20 km Belgium is… in the most beautiful autumn colours. Belgium is an intriguing small country with plenty to discov- Admittedly, you may struggle to find us on the er. There is no need to travel far as we are not fa- global map. Belgium is that small dot on the North miliar with the concept of distance. Have you ever Sea just across from Southern England. Yes, you heard of hanging gardens, tasted an escabeche or have spotted us! Between the Netherlands, Lux- climbed a pit heap? Gorged on waffles from Brus- embourg, Germany and France. We may be small sels or Liège or enjoyed our beers...? but we have a big reputation. Our cities of art and culture: Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent and Bruges are From the source known all over the world. The fiery city of Liège steered a course that was completely its own for a We will guide you through our breweries, large and thousand years. Belgium is also the country of cy- small. Wherever you travel on Belgium’s roads, you cling legend Eddy Merckx and top tennis players will come across brewers. Often invisibly, behind Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin. In Bruges time abbey walls, in castles, barns, stables, cafés, garag- appears to stand still. Here you can admire the art es, kitchens or sheds, brewers are making beer in of medieval painting and architecture. Brussels kettles, basins and tanks. In large breweries you will surprise you with Magritte’s surrealist paint- will find them in the control room, the ‘cockpit’ in ings and its art nouveau architecture designed by other words. Entire dynasties are proud of a brew- Horta. Cartoonist Hergé, the spiritual father of ing tradition going back as many as fifteen genera- Tintin, is known for his ‘clear lines’ up to this day. tions. Starters are cobbling together their own The Dardenne brothers have gained a following equipment using materials donated by colleagues, through their realistic cinema. Toots Thielemans milk tanks even, or buy a brewing kit. They are of- first introduced the mouth organ to jazz music. ten acquainted with an experienced colleague who The Antwerp Six (Antwerpse Zes) took the inter- is only too happy to lend a helping hand and share national fashion scene by storm. The author his wisdom and experience. The beer lover suc- Georges Simenon introduced his Chief Inspector cumbs to the brewing virus that has lain dormant Maigret to the world. Belgium is the country of be- for a while. At the end of the road, the brewers’ fate guinages, belfries, carillons and tapestries. And is in your hands. It is up to you whether or not you the town of Spa lent its name to spa resorts far and approve of their beers. Are you voting for weak, wide. The North Sea coast is perfect for soaking up strong, pale, fruity, zesty, spicy, mild, sour, bitter or the sunshine and blowing the cobwebs away. The sweet? For accessible or layered, for a warming beer south and the east of our country provide a sur- or a thirstquencher, a degustation beer or a quaffa- prising array of green. The forests of the Ardennes ble one? Tasting is the message. You weigh up all never cease to amaze you, whether covered by a the options and make your choice. white winter carpet, coloured in the fresh green of spring, baking under a leaden summer sun or clad Erik Verdonck 9 ARLON BASTOGNE BOUILLON DURBUY LA ROCHE SA I N T-HU BERT BASTOGNE (Brasserie de) Ardenne Saison, Ardenne Spirit Old Ale, Ardenne Stout, Bastogne Pale Ale, Trouffette range For its Trouffette the brewery found inspira- tion in the local carnival tradition. The label shows a lad riding a boar with a barrel around its neck: a scoundrel with a hefty dose of local folk hero Uylenspiegel. Bastogne Pale Ale is the Belgian in- terpretation of an IPA (India Pale Ale). This beer contains spelt, a grain variety typical of the Ar- ACHOUFFE (Brasserie d’) dennes. Its bitterness is derived from aromatic hop varieties. The fresh citrusy touches stand out as do Chouffe Soleil, La Chouffe, McChouffe, the hop aromas which are emphasised by the dry Houblon Chouffe, N’Ice Chouffe hopping (dry hopping: adding hop flowers to the cold storage tank to re-enforce the aromas and A stone’s throw from (C)houffalize two man- taste of the hop). With its Ardenne Stout the brew- size gnomes point the way to their beer temple. ery brings back to life an originally British beer This is where the first ‘Chouffe’ saw the light in a style that had been relegated to the back row in re- cow byre in 1982. Brasserie d’Achouffe has formed cent years. TIP: taste these beers in L’Aubièregiste part of the Duvel Moortgat Group since 2006. It (www.laubieregiste.com) in Brussels. all started with a gnome, bent over by the load of The microbrewery is housed in an annexe to an Ar- hop and barley he carried on his back. Greedily, he dennes farmhouse. In 2018 it will move to Baillon- is eyeing up a glass of La Chouffe. This icon is now ville (Somme-Leuze). Visit by prior arrangement. travelling around the world. La Chouffe flows in abundance when La Grande Choufferie is held in BelleEau 3, Vaux-sur-Sûre – +32(0)475/87 83 66 Achouffe, during gastronomic weekends, at the La [email protected] Chouffe Classic and at the UCI Mountain Bike www.brasseriedebastogne.be World Cup in Houffalize. From 2018: Zoning Industriel, Baillonville Nowadays you find yourself in an ultra-modern +32(0)475/87 83 66 – www.brasseriedebastogne.be brewery with an idyllic location amidst an oasis of green. Ideal for a day in the Ardennes, for a weekend or a longer stay. TIP: come down in early August to visit the legendary Grande Choufferie. Put your name down for a guided brewery tour and explore the brewery tavern, the shop and the local cafés and restaurants. Book a guided group tour (with a maximum of 25 visitors per guide). In- dividual tours – first come, first served – are held at fixed times during the week. Achouffe 32, Wibrin (Houffalize) – +32(0)61/23 04 44 [email protected] – www.achouffe.be 12 LA ROCHE-EN-ARDENNE Things to see and do • the fortified castle dating from the Middle Ages • the potteries • the Musée de la Bataille des Ardennes • about the Second World War • the Valley of the Ourthe Tip: La Roche is the starting point of the ‘Transardennaise’ hike towards Bouillon. The walk takes seven days and luggage transfers can be arranged. Tourisme La Roche-en-Ardenne Place du Marché 15 B-6980 La Roche-en-Ardenne +32(0)84/36 77 36 www.la-roche-tourisme.com BOUILLON (Brasserie de) BASTOGNE Blanche de Bouillon, Bouillonnaise, Cuvée de Bouillon, Médiévale Things to see and do • the Mardasson war memorial Brasserie de Bouillon is linked to a beer shop • the Bastogne War Museum about the called Le Marché de Nathalie, in the shadow of the Second World War Bourg.